Andor – Rix Road review S1 E12

Andor’s season finale fully left me in spoiled Star Wars brat mode basically pouting as I’m “forced” to wait for more episodes. But wow. What. A. Finale. This was a fantastic payoff to everything that’s played out over these 12 episodes. That’s not easy to do while still leaving the audience salivating for more.

Rix Road had the feel of the final act of a Godfather film (pick one) with a big, heavy instrumental number as the players converge for their respective missions.

Pegla, Cassian’s Ferrix friend with a disturbing distaste for subtlety and code names, tells Brasso that Cassian is on his way. Since Pegla hasn’t truly mastered the art of whispering either, Nurchi overhears everything and is all set to rat Cassian out to the Empire. This at least ties into Cassian owing Nurchi money in the first episode and Nurchi getting some terribly misguided payback.

Meanwhile, Whilmon is hard at work building something to avenge his father’s brutal death at the hands of Dedra’s crew. This is tight storytelling. Every character has a purpose and an understandable reason for their actions.

On Coruscant, Mon has figured out a way around some of her problems. She knows her driver is a spy and throws her aloof, partying husband Perrin under the bus by faking outrage over his gambling. This is a savvy move as it throws suspicion off her by framing this hidden money as Perrin’s dealings. This subplot also gets paid off as Mon’s driver is actually a spy for Lt. Blevin, Dedra’s rival at the ISB.

The ISB is reacting to the news of Kreegyr and crew’s death. Not coincidentally, Lonni is standing next to Blevin as he gets the news. Dedra’s not pleased with the news but is focused on finding Axis and Cassian on Ferrix. She blends in like Marisa Tomei and quickly gets made by Cinta.

Luthen’s arrived too and he tells Vel they need to stake out the hotel as that’s where Cassian will likely go to rescue Bix.

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This homecoming hasn’t been great for Cassian, who returned to pay his final respects to Maarva and now learns Bix is being tortured in captivity. Brasso relays a message from Maarva, who knew Cassian would come back — tell — tell him I love him more than anything he could do wrong. The writing on this show has been so, so good.

To prep for this impossible mission, Cassian reads Karis’ manifesto. It’s telling that before his death Karis wanted Cassian to have it and not Vel.

The Ferrix symphony orchestra start converging on the town square as all eyes await Cassian, including Syril and his eager sidekick, Linus Mosk. Cassian has a bird’s eye view on everything and notices Luthen in the crowd, which can’t be a good thing. Before Dedra and her Death Squad troopers can arrive, Cassian’s back in the tunnels making his way to Bix the alternate route.

With the procession stopped, B2EMO plays a message from Maarva. Once again, we get another killer monologue as Maarva talks about the infection of the Empire and how it’s threatening to blot out everyone who ignores it. It’s enough for even Luthen to take notice. What’s the record for a series with so many expertly written and performed monologues in one season? I feel like Andor is coming for the throne.

Fully riled up, both the Ferrix crowd and the Imperial officers are ready for the pen drop. That comes courtesy of Whilmon’s bomb, which unleashes a series of explosions and a full-scale riot.

Andor has done such a great job of showing the Empire like a bunch of bullying cowards that talk big and immediately cower down when confronted/challenged.

Cassian gets Bix, who’s still loopy from the interrogation. Cinta kills the ISB undercover agent while Syril saves Dedra from the rioters. Poor Mosk gets dropped to drink in the alley after the fighting subsides.

In the distance, Luthen sees the rebellion he’s wanted to see take spark on the galaxy for so long actually play out before his eyes. Call that a mission accomplished.

Cassian successfully gets Bix to Brasso, Whilmon, Jezzi and B2EMO. While it’d be easier to run away with his friends, Cassian isn’t going, but he assures them he’ll find them.

Meanwhile on Coruscant, Mon is with her family for the introduction to Davo’s son. Leida keeps looking over at Mon as if to get a rise out of her, but Mon only looks ahead with a crushing sadness fully aware what she’s doing.

Luthen returns to his ship ready to head out, but he’s got a stowaway. Cassian realized when he spotted him that Luthen came to kill him. Cassian is here to make it easy for him — either kill him or take him in.

If Luthen felt like his efforts at igniting this rebellion were going to be incremental steps to a larger, distant future he’d never see, Ferrix’s resistance and Cassian wanting to join the cause just might have given him…hope.

And just because they’re so awesome, we even get a post credit scene with a massive teaser.

It’s hard to see what could have been done to improve this season. Even the slower episodes were focused on laying essential groundwork for the big payoff episodes. That was a workable and successful formula all year and this finale showed the importance of a cohesive, well mapped out vision. Andor clearly ranks as one of the best of the Star Wars movie spin-offs and an elite entry in the Star Wars Disney+ series.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Photo Credit: Disney

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